The
Apsidal Arch at Santa Maria Maggiore:
Right Side
5th century
Mosaic
Basilica
of Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome
In the top register we see the Presentation
in the Temple on the left and on the right the dream in which St.
Joseph is warned to take the child
into Egypt.
The second register is usually taken to represent an apocryphal
story in which the Christ Child is sheltered in Egypt by one
Aphrodisius, who would later become a Christian martyr.
In the third register the Magi consult with
King Herod. This corresponds to a mosaic
of the Epiphany on the left side.
The bottom register represents the town of Bethlehem.
For the other mosaics on the arch, click
here.
Photographed at the
site by Richard Stracke